Dive into adventure in the sun-drenched Florida Keys with Paul Hogan and Elijah Wood as they have the time of their lives in this action-packed family favorite. When Sandy Ricks (Wood) is sent to Coral Key to stay with his... more &raquo salty Uncle Porter (Hogan) for the summer, he never dreamed he'd become best mates with a feisty, orphaned dolphin named Flipper. In no time, the two new friends become caught up in a series of high-seas escapades and Sandy discovers a whole new outlook on life, in this heartwarming adventure.&laquo less

Movie Reviews

Great Flick

08/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I originally bought this movie for my 9-year-old daughter who is a huge fan of both dolphins and Elijah Wood. I didn't expect, however, that the entire family would enjoy it as much as we did! The story was interesting, suspensful and heart-warming. The acting was good -- not cheesy at all (as was another reviewer's opinion). The only complaint I had was the occasional (and unecessary) profanity ... which from what I could tell would be the only reason for it's PG rating. Otherwise this a great movie for the entire family and I would highly recommend it."

Decent Family Flick!

08/23/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Highly entertaining if you are under eleven years of age and a lover of dolphins, eminently tolerable if you are not- Flipper is one of the more enjoyable family films of recent years. Based on the highly successful 60s TV series it is the story of a teenager who befriends a dolphin while spending the summer with his uncle on the Florida Keys. The script is patchy constantly flitting between some potentially cringe worthy dialogue and moments of quirky comedic brilliance. For a film purporting to be centred on a dolphin as the title suggests we see precious little of the creature. The underwater shots of wildlife are uninspiring and some viewers will probably find their finger hovering over the fast forward button of their remote more than once as the film unfolds. Paul Hogan and Elijah Wood are the strongest elements of an otherwise pedestrian cast and of the two it is Wood who ultimately manages to carry the movie. His Sandy is engaging and utterly charming and you have to love his lingo which boasts such gems as `gotta jet man-here comes the hippy' and the `we've been smoking up a storm...' dialogue-both delivered in a manner that renders them absolutely priceless! For such a young actor (15) he manages Sandy's transition from a sulky, rebellious brat to a much more caring individual with incredible ease. And that is the thing most admirable about Wood in this film- the fact he delivers the script's more stilted and sentimental lines and sequences with a naturalism that makes his job look so damn easy! Hogan as the salty Uncle Porter is less impressive on the whole but nonetheless conjures several memorable moments. Hogan's screen presence is as great as ever and he seems quite at home in this role producing a relaxed and smooth performance. His characteristic deadpan delivery is used to great effect in this film and his on screen rapport with Wood produces some of the best scenes in `Flipper'. On the down side the rest of the cast offer relatively stilted performances, which inevitably damage the pace of the film. It is also let down by the absence of a decent storyline, opting instead for the traditional clichés that have plagued these sort of films.
In short if you want a positive and amusing family film to watch with your child `Flipper' is as good a choice as any. And if you do happen to find your attention waning towards the end you can always occupy yourself with trying to make out what the pieces of text on Sandy's t-shirts say!"

Flippin good! A splash of fun!

Frodo | Bag End, The Shire | 12/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I really enjoyed this movie! It's very cute and quite funny in places, has decent acting and of course the dolphin is simply delightful!

Sandy (played by a tender Elijah Wood) is a rebellious teenager from Chicago who is sent to stay with his Uncle (aussie Paul Hogan) over the summer. Thinking there will be NOTHING to do accept fish on a crummy boat for 8 weeks, Sandy finds pleasure out of being difficult and objective. However things take a turn when he saves the life of a friendly and intelligent dolphin, who later on becomes known as Flipper and the two soon develop a strong friendship.

Being an Australian, it was great to see an old classic in this movie to bring a little something extra. Elijah Wood did a wonderful job i thought! Best known for his portrayal as Frodo in the "lord of the rings" Wood shows real profession at such a young age.

And i wont finish without mentioning the beautiful dolphin! Those animals are such a joy to watch because you can really sense that they are smiling! He was simply beautiful! Children are going to love the several sequences in which Flipper dives and plays in the water. Beautiful cinematography!

So in conclusion, "Flipper" is just wonderfully light and fun escape from heavier films and the other destractions of life. It'll make you wanna jump in the pool and you will laugh in several places. Good acting and gorgeous animal interaction work together to make this sweet tale of friendship a pleasure to watch over again!"

Not much like the Tv show, but still a great movie

retrowens | Alabama, USA | 02/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I know that "Flipper" is only averaging 3 stars because a lot of poople don't like it much because it's not anything like the Tv show. I grew up watching Flipper the Tv show and it was always one of my favorites, but I still have to say that this movie is a good movie even if it's not all that much inspired by the Tv show. The main theme between the Tv show and the movie are basically the same, both are mainly about the story of a boy befriended by a dolphin named Flipper. However, there are a few differences. In this movie, there's not a Bud character, there's only Sandy, unlike the show. Also, Flipper won't be saving anything or anybody in this movie. In "Flipper" the movie, Sandy (Elijah Wood) has to stay a summer with his uncle, Porter (Paul Hogan), although he doesn't want to and he doesn't even know his uncle. Sandy doesn't exactly get along with his uncle that lives mainly off of Spaghetti O's at first. If it wasn't for Sandy befriending Flipper, there's no telling what would've happened. Flipper befriends Sandy, which leads to Sandy making more friends including Kim (Jessica Wesson), Sandy getting along better with his uncle, and even some adventures and misadventures along the way. Even though "Flipper" isn't much like the old Tv classic, I still thought that this was a great movie. It has its drama throughout and it even has a few adventurous parts such as an encounter with a hammerhead shark and busting some criminals. It also has good underwater photography and pretty good acting. I recommend anybody who used to watch Flipper the Tv show or anyone who likes dolphins or just likes good movies to get "Flipper.""

This chemistry just didn't work for me.

The Night Falcon | 06/08/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I was alive when I saw the original movie released that lead to the TV series starring Luke Halpin and Tommy Norden. I bought this film simply because I have loved Paul Hogan's work and adore Elijah Wood. So I took a chance.

In merit to this film and its premise, this film's take off of "Flipper" shows a more disfunctional family approach to the Ricks family we see in the old 1960's TV series. Elijah Wood, who plays Sandy in this film, is sent to stay with Ranger Ricks for one summer. You presume Sandy's mother can not take care of him for the summer, while she pays Porter Ricks, played by Paul Hogan; $100 a week to take care of the boy. I don't know who can get by on $100 a week these days let alone in 2003 when this film was made. Porter Ricks living conditions are quite a far cry from the clean environment and ethics taught in the old 1965 tv series. Since this film is drawing from the original characters created from the 1965 series, it makes sense to make a rough comparison. This film in other words can not just be judged for its own merits alone, since it draws from the old 60's Tv series in premise.

There is no sign of Bud in this film or hint to a sequel that might introduce him and frankly, it was the relationship between Flipper and Bud that made the old 1960's tv series work so well. Tommy Norden was not only a cute kid to watch, but had a fabulous personality as a young actor.

The character development in this film needed allot of work, not to mention somekind of decent story line. In the opening, Sandy and Porter Ricks seem distant from each other and don't really seem that much closer by the time it all reaches the end of the film.

Flipper appears into this half hazardly via Sandy witnessing some fishermen killing Flipper's mother and, for some reason, Flipper is drawn to Sandy after roaming the oceans with no pod or family. How he finds Sandy isn't clear either when there is no earthly way a dolphin, as intelligent as Flipper, could have known where Sandy lived.

I liked that Flipper tracked Sandy down in his lonliness, but it would have made more sense if Sandy had tried to rescue Flipper from the gunman, who shot Flipper's mother, which caused this bonding to take place, while leaving a clue for the dolphin to find Sandy. You really have no idea why flipper is drawn to Sandy, other than the fact that Flipper gets lonily, in need of a family, and magically tracks him down.

The dolphin in this movie is cute; that goes without saying. Makes me think of the mechanical dolphin, named Darwin, they used in SeaQuest.

I think this film would have had allot more going for it, if they had simply worked to create somekind of story that brings Ricks, Sandy and Flipper together via stuggle and need for each other. It seems the story was trying to do that along the way, but kept missing.

Frankly, this story really does not go anywhere and that's ashame. You can read other reviews to get some idea of what the story is about. Otherwise I think the chemistry between Paul Hogan, as an actor, and Elijah Wood, as an actor, could have really worked in this film. They both are excellent actors when it comes down to it. It just seems the whole thing was slapped together with the idea in mind; "This will sell, everyone loves Flipper", but we also like a good story or it doesn't work.

Also, as long as the character "Sandy" was going to be used in this remake, it makes no sense to take away Bud from the family profile; given this film is drawing from the original work of the original film and tv series of the 1960's.

Cinematography wise; this film is done well, but I can see why it would have been hard to even make a sequel with this, simply because the story really goes no where or at least in a direction that might even suggest a sequel.

I felt very lost at the end when Sandy goes home at summer's end to be with his mom: At least you think it is his mom, even though that isn't made clear in the script. He's allowed to come back next summer to visit Porter Ricks, but the whole thing just comes apart with this type of ending when you consider the original premise of the Ricks family of the 1960's and that they were a family. You don't see that happening here, even though the writer is drawing from the old 1960's series. Too bad.

I hate to give anything a number 2 rating. Can't imagine how anyone could have blown it with something as delightful as Flipper, but this one really isn't worth your money. It's more a rental film or something to pass your time when nothing else is on tv to watch."